Planetary scientists using ESA's Mars Express spacecraft's high-resolution stereo camera have captured stunning images of Earth's mysterious landscapes. Australe Scopri Region in the southern hemisphere of the red planet.
Frozen landscape of the Australe Skopli region on Mars' south pole. Image credit: ESA / DLR / FU Berlin.
“Here, a layer of carbon dioxide ice and dust envelops the site, turning Mars white,” ESA researchers said in a statement.
“The contrasting light and dark layers are especially striking on the exposed surfaces of hills and valleys.”
“They track the seasonal polar layered deposits characteristic of the region, which form when layers of ice freeze and trap varying amounts of dust within them. It is something that will be done.”
“It's probably better to take a sled ride, but either way, dress warmly, because it's -125 degrees Celsius (-193 Fahrenheit) outside so it's cold,” they added.
“Skiers and sledders on Mars will have to slalom around potentially hundreds of dust jets.”
“That's because ski season is almost over and it's starting to look like spring, or even summer. This image was taken on June 16, 2022, near the Antarctic summer solstice.”
If you zoom in on the image above, you can see numerous dark spots where the ice has already sublimated. This is a sure sign that the sun's warming rays have been hitting the area for some time.
“When sunlight hits the translucent upper layer of carbon dioxide ice, it warms the underlying surface,” the scientists explained.
“The ice at the bottom of the layer begins to sublimate, forming pockets of trapped gas.”
“As the pressure increases, the overlying ice suddenly cracks, causing gas to burst out from the surface.”
“These gas fountains carry black dust from below, which falls to the surface in a fan-shaped pattern depending on the prevailing wind direction.”
“Fan lengths range from tens of meters to hundreds of meters.”
“If you look more closely, it often appears that the fans follow the boundaries between polar layered deposits.”
“Perhaps these boundaries represent zones of weakness, from which escaping dust-laden jets can more easily break through the ice layer.”
“We may have missed the chance to create 'Frosty the Snowman,' but it's still a wonderful time of year on Mars.”
Source: www.sci.news
